Coventry-Crewe Betting Preview: Backing Leon Clarke to continue his prolific form in a high-scoring encounter

By Al Hain-Cole

The hosts have been League One's most potent attacking force since Mark Robins took over, but their opponents usually score away. Al Hain-Cole is expecting a high-scoring final

The northern section of the Football League Trophy sees Coventry take on Crewe in a two-legged final, with a trip to Wembley to face the southern champions up for grabs.

The Sky Blues are making their debut in the competition this season, having been relegated to the third tier for the first time in 48 years, and they seem to be enjoying themselves.

After seeing off Preston in dramatic fashion in the semi-final, Mark Robins’ men are favourites at 5/6 (1.83) with Paddy Power to give themselves a first-leg lead by winning this match.

The Railwaymen came out on top in the League One clash between these two sides earlier this season, but are unfancied at 16/5 (4.20) to emerge victorious here.

The last meeting between these two sides at the Ricoh Arena resulted in a 1-1 draw back in 2005, and you can get odds of 12/5 (3.40) on them cancelling each other out once again eight years later.

The hosts’ turnaround since manager Mark Robins took over has been remarkable, and were it not for their disastrous start to the season they would surely be major contenders for automatic promotion.

The former Barnsley boss has ensured the team has some serious firepower, and they have now outscored every other side in the division, an even more remarkable achievement given their lacklustre start to the campaign.

Crewe have only kept two clean sheets in 17 away games this season, but have not failed to score in their last 11 matches, so we should see plenty of goalmouth action.

A bet on both teams to score would have paid out in each of Crewe’s last six on the road, so looks like a safe option against their prolific opponents, at odds of 8/11 (1.73).

The majority of Coventry’s goals this season have been provided by David McGoldrick, but with the on-loan Nottingham Forest striker now having left the club, Leon Clarke is doing an excellent job of filling the top scorer’s shoes.

Clarke has scored five goals in his last six games for the Sky Blues, and he offers excellent value at 11/4 (3.75) to open the scoring for his side. This bet doesn't require Clarke to score the first goal of the game, just the first for his team, which allows for the possibility that Crewe could get on the scoresheet first while still providing a solid price at 11/4 (3.75).

Al Hain-Cole is a Liverpool fan, experienced tipster and avid follower of European football. He specialises in accumulators and if you would like to read more from Al you can follow him on Twitter here.